


A world revived

by apathyinreverie



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Humor, M/M, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathyinreverie/pseuds/apathyinreverie
Summary: What if the ever-so-brief presence of two Shadowhunters in the inverted world had some unexpected, rather far-reaching consequences? What if magic and demons return to a world that has entirely forgotten how to handle either?And suddenly Magnus finds himself stuck explaining the Shadowworld to a group of nephilim who think that seraph blades are pretty cool lightsaber knockoffs and who instead of discussing obscure demon lore keep quoting Disney movies at each other.If Ragnor were still alive, he'd laugh himself silly at Magnus' current plight.





	1. Chapter 1

Magnus flips the page, scanning the ancient writings, making sure he has all necessary ingredients spread out on the desk beside him.

For the first time in literally centuries, Magnus is about to perform one of the olden rituals, or to be more specific, a ritual that will allow him to tap into the ley lines. The ley lines which disappeared such a long time ago as magic drained from this world. The ley lines which Magnus swears he can suddenly feel again, thrumming with power.

Because ever since his rather surreal encounter with the dimension-hopping Shadowhunters and that fight with the demon and getting his magic back, something in this world has started changing, _shifting_.

It took Magnus a while to realize that there was even something going on at all, simply assuming that whatever he felt was due to him readjusting to having his magic back at his fingertips. But by now, the feeling simply can no longer be ignored. There is something shifting, something so far beyond himself.

And Magnus already has a very good idea just what might be going on. Because this feeling - this thrumming of ancient, all-encompassing, ever-fluid power once more tinting the world around him - is more than familiar. It feels like the ley lines. As impossible as that should be.

Because this world had been magic-free for a long, long time.

They managed to win the war against the demons more than two centuries ago and once victorious, they immediately cut off their world from hell once and for all. And everything changed after that. Because as with everything in this universe, there is always a balance to uphold.

The balance of angels in heaven, demons in hell and the human world - a world pervaded by magic and filled with angel-blooded Shadowhunters and demon-blooded Downworlders - in between.

It's _balance_. And if you change one thing, the rest will shift with it. No more demons on earth, meant that Shadowhunters were no longer needed and thus the nephilim started losing their gifts, their connection to their angel-bloodlines. Even the angels themselves had not seen reason to visit their world any longer.

And the world adapted, _shifted._

Magic had drained from their world at an unprecedented speed, taking a large part of the Downworld and whatever remained of the Shadowhunters with it. Until there was simply nothing left beyond those who managed to assimilate into this world by living a mundane life - most of them losing their gifts either with magic's disappearance or over time - or those very very few beings too powerful to simply be drained, beings who had long since lost their dependence on earth's own magic.

Beings like Magnus, who is now the keeper of the vast majority of all warlock knowledge, centuries of history and knowledge tucked away on the shelves of his little shop.

Or like the Seelie Queen, who has been sleeping in her realm for centuries now, having made that choice once the magic started draining too quickly from this world. Magnus knows that at least some of the Seelies made that choice with her, unwilling to live in a magic-free world, a world that contradicted their very existence. Or beings like Aatu - one of the oldest vampires alive - and a few of his immediate descendents, now drained of life, drained of blood, but far too powerful to truly _fade_ from this earth. Or like Zachariah of the Silent Brothers resting in the abandoned Silent City, sworn to watch over those ancient angelic artifacts that are far too powerful to risk leaving them just lying around without any form of protection.

These days, there is barely a handful of them remaining in total, most Downworlders having assimilated into the mundane life over several decades as they lost their connection to magic, their gifts, their immortality.

It had taken the warlocks far too long to realize just what was happening and at that point, most of them had already lost their magic, drained away with the all-encompassing swirling maelstrom that was reality reasserting itself in a magic-free world. Leaving Magnus to watch countless friends die in the following few decades. Same as the vampires - who had simply had their immortality stripped from them, starting to age as normal humans would - and werewolves - who lost their supernatural features until nothing of earth's magic remained within them.

But what is a warlock who cannot do magic, a vampire who cannot drink blood, a werewolf who cannot turn? Who would _want_ to live in a world without magic? Even Magnus himself had assimilated to the point that his magic had gone dormant from disuse.

But.

Then the red-headed girl had appeared, a Shadowhunter from another dimension, followed by a demon and pursued by yet another Shadowhunter.

Of course, the Shadowhunters had killed the demon almost immediately, so Magnus had just _assumed_ the demon hadn't been able to do any real harm. But looking back, who _knows_ what the demon had been up to in this world before attacking them in that basement. And either way, they apparently hadn’t killed it soon enough.

Because even those few short hours of the Shadowworld returning to this realm - using angelic gifts aided by a Downworlder's magic to fight a demon - had definitely _changed_ something.

Ever since then, Magnus has felt the balance shifting in the world around him, powers of old awakening, calling to his magic, spreading throughout the entire world from this very city, like ripples across a lake, starting small, but growing and growing and ever-growing, to insurmountable heights.

It feels like the world around him is irrevocably changing once more.

And now, Magnus needs to make sure, needs to check whether what has been happening in New York is just a local phenomenon or whether it is truly spreading as fast and as vastly as his magic is telling him. He has spent the past week gathering the supplies he needs for this particular ritual, a ritual which will let him check on the ley lines, not only in this city but all throughout this entire realm.

Because if what his magic is telling him is actually true - if magic is indeed returning to this world and with it also potentially the presence of demons growing ever closer - then Magnus will need to figure out just what to do about it. And fast.

He takes another deep breath - a final check of the symbols drawn onto the floor - and then he starts to chant.

 

* * *

 

Magnus is currently in the process of giving himself a mental pep-talk.

The ritual he did less than a week ago confirmed his fears - or is it his hopes? - about magic currently  returning to this world. The ley lines had been beautifully, blindingly bright, once more pulsing with power, magic simply bleeding back into them in the exact same manner it had once drained from them. Steadily and unstoppable.

But reestablished ley lines also means reestablished connections to all those other realms which this world had so successfully cut itself off from before.

Magnus can practically feel the faerie realm growing ever closer, the faeries' playful magic once more tugging at his own. But he can also feel that dark, suffocating miasma of demons drawing closer, scratching at the ever-thinning wall separating them from this world. The links between this realm and the various dimensions of hell are reestablishing themselves.

The return of magic is inevitable at this point and that might very well go hand in hand with the return of demons to this world as well. Which means that Magnus needs to do something. 

He doesn't want to even imagine living in a world as it used to be with demons wrecking havoc, but without the protections it used to have to make up for that. The thought alone makes him shiver in cold dread. Demons roaming free without anyone but Magnus and maybe a handful of other Downworlders to stop them? He might be powerful but even _he_ cannot be everywhere on the globe at once. Humanity as a whole might truly not survive this.

So, Magnus needs help.

Question is, where to get it?

The problem is that Magnus’ magic had been dormant for a long time, so he lost his touch in some aspects and the same goes for the other few Downworlders who have assimilated into mundane life.  Of course, Magnus is already planning to awaken the Seelie Queen as soon as enough magic has returned to this world that he can once more access her realm. He knows Aatu's resting place - having been entrusted with his general location such a long time ago. And it will be easy to reach Brother Zachariah once he has even a single nephilim to help him.

Which is however also the problem.

Sure, there is still angel-blood in this world, nephilim having continued to reproduce with humans, passing on their bloodlines. But they stopped training their gifts a long time ago, lost their culture, and do not have the required knowledge or discipline instilled into them any longer.

But now the world needs them once more. Needs them to fight in case demons truly make it back into this realm. So, Magnus needs to at least try to get the ball rolling.

And the best - and admittedly only - place to reliably run into nephilim, are locations that exude angelic energy. Places like the former Shadowhunter Institutes scattered across the globe. Because no matter how long ago it might have been since Shadowhunters still practiced their gifts, the places where they used to gather are still practically drenched in angelic energy and that attracts nephilim like nothing else, even if they have no idea what it is that makes them seek out those particular places in the world.

So. The best place for Magnus to start would be the local - if former - Shadowhunter Institute. Which he is planning to visit. Right now.

Thus, the mental pep-talk.

Because he has no clue how he is going to get any of them on board once there, how to get their angel-blood kick-started again, how to make them believe, but he'll figure something out. He has to.

If all else fails, Magnus might just have to find a way to stop by that dimension the two Shadowhunters had been visiting from. Shadowhunters so love saving the day and Magnus is sure that if he tells them of his plight, they would be willing to help him protect this world.

But try the simple route first, namely convincing some of this world's nephilim that they are in fact supernatural beings with supernatural powers in a once-more supernatural world. Should be fun.

At least he already knows that his trip to the former Shadowhunter Institute won't be generally in vain. As brief as his visit at that party had been, he had still easily picked out the descendents of several of the nephilim's previously most influential - and most powerful - bloodlines, Branwells, Herondales, Fairchilds and Morgensterns flitting about the room. And Lightwoods. Don't forget the Lightwoods.

And even as he continues gathering a few supplies that will hopefully make his attempt at convincing this world's nephilim of their bloodlines a little easier - including a couple of seraph blades he got tucked away and the occasional stele he stumbled across over time - he feels his lips quirk into a slight grin. Briefly letting his mind drift back to that party, he can't help but think that he also really wouldn't be opposed to running into that one _particular_ Lightwood he had met there again.

_What had he said his name was? Alec?_

Yeah, Magnus wouldn't mind meeting him again at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm...? So, I had an idea for a light, fluffy and entirely magic-free one-shot about inverted-Malec on a date. And then somehow this happened instead. Just, _how_? I don't even know what to tag this as, I'm so confused... XD
> 
> I have absolutely no idea whether I'll continue this in any way, but I would really really love to know what you think (#^^#)


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus can see the old church looming from in between its surrounding buildings long before his cab actually reaches the park around the former Shadowhunter Institute.

The church is dwarfed by the skyscrapers stretching skywards all around, but at the same time also seems to almost tower over its surroundings, the building’s aura just as impressive as it was when it still served as the East Coast’s foremost Shadowhunter gathering spots.

And stepping out of the cab, Magnus can't help but pause for a moment, breathes in the summer air permeated by the angelic energy practically radiating from the not-quite-hallowed grounds.

It's a feeling that he associates just as much with the stubborn self-righteousness of bigoted Clave members as it reminds him of dear allies, fighting and dying alongside Magnus and his fellow Downworlders as they fought and won over the demon hordes.

He would never have thought he'd ever possibly miss it, miss the assurance of nephilim guarding the world, miss the feeling of angelic powers helping to protect this realm. Not until it had already almost entirely dissipated form this world. Now he only comes across it ever so often, nothing but a reminder of times passed, of wars fought and won, of friends loved and lost.

At least for now.

Magnus looks around himself absently from where he is still standing at one corner of the park.

It's a beautiful day – blue skies and a light, warm breeze coming in from the river – and the little park surrounding the Institute seems to have attracted quite a number of people, enjoying the good weather, either occupying the benches along the path or just cheerfully sprawled out on the lawn.

A coffee truck off to one side offers refreshments and the chairs and tables surrounding it are mostly taken up by various groups of people lazing in the sun.

It is all so wonderfully idyllic that it almost seems a little mocking, a stark contrast to the images that have been plaguing Magnus’ mind recently. Images of a future with the world overrun by demons without anyone to stand in their way, no one to fight for the mundanes who wouldn't even know what the creatures destroying their world are, entirely defenseless against them.

And the first ones to die would be the nephilim, just as defenseless as mundanes against their demonic attackers but their angel blood serving as a beacon to any demon entering this realm.

Demons might not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but even they would quickly realize that the formerly so fearsome nephilim have become just as defenseless against their attacks as mundanes, no longer trained and armed and always ready for a fight. There would be no reason for demons to avoid nephilim any longer and it wouldn’t take long until there just wouldn’t be a single angel-blooded creature left in this realm. They’d quite simply be hunted down, slaughtered.

So yeah, Magnus would absolutely love to join the people enjoying the beautiful day, but at the moment he is far too wired to even attempt to simply relax in the sun. There are some things he has to care of first.

Like trying to reintroduce a few of New York’s nephilim to the Shadowworld, a world which doesn’t actually really exist anymore. Nephilim who haven’t been trained in the arts of their people, who don't know how to use their gifts, who know nothing of their heritage or of their history. Nephilim who grew up in the age of religious skepticism, in the there-is-a-scientific-explanation-for-everything era of technology, in the age of there-is-no-such-thing-as-magic.

And Magnus will _somehow_ have to convince them that the opposite is true, that magic is in fact _real_. Not only that, but also try to convince them that there are actual demons in hell and angels in heaven, that there used to be an entire world full of supernatural creatures who in themselves are magic, that creatures now only seen in books and movies used to roam the world right alongside their mundane counterparts.

And those things will most likely be the easy part of Magnus’ explanation.

Because after – somehow – convincing them of those facts, Magnus will have to explain to the nephilim that they themselves have angel blood and that they alone can save the world from the imminent threat of demons returning to this world which is only happening because some dimension-traveling Shadowhunters managed to return magic to this world a few weeks back.

Honestly, even to his own ears, it sounds entirely ludicrous, absolutely unbelievable. He is only missing some sort of romantic side story and he’ll have the full plot for a run-off-the-mill, you-are-the-chosen-one fantasy novel.

So yes, Magnus knows that there is barely any chance that trying to convince anyone of these things won’t go badly, won’t end with him thrown out on the street or charged with something or other.

Still, he doesn’t really have a choice. Because he can _feel_ the barriers between realms thinning, can feel the threat of demons growing ever closer.

So, Magnus _has_ to try.

And if he doesn't succeed here, he will just have to seek out the other former Institutes, hoping to find at least a few nephilim scattered around the world who might be willing to suspend their disbelief, who might be willing to help him protect this world.

If all else fails he will truly have to figure out how to get to that other dimension and ask them to lend their aid.

But first, he will try the simpler solution, will at least give convincing the local nephilim a go. Depending on how this goes, he'll see where to go from there.

He blinks himself back to the present, making himself look away from the old church and everything it reminds him of.

Honestly, Magnus has likely never been quite as nervous about approaching any Institute as he is right now, not even during the darker times of the Clave reigning over the Shadowworld several centuries back.

He had considered making an appointment with one of the nephilim under false pretenses and once there come out with his real reason for being there. But doing so certainly wouldn’t be the best or most trust-inspiring first impression, so in the end he decided to just rely on Lady Luck for once and simply ring the doorbell, see who answers and then just take things from there.

So, he blows out a breath, smoothes down his shirt with one hand and then starts down the path towards the historically so important building.

He doesn’t even make it halfway across the small park surrounding the old church.

“Hey!”

Magnus is just passing the coffee truck to his right and he doesn’t even really register the call, assuming it is meant for someone else, simply continuing on towards the church.

 “Hey, wait!”

This time he briefly glances in the direction of the call, more out of reflex and curiosity than anything else. He promptly comes to a rather abrupt halt.

Because _right there_ is an entire group of nephilim gathered in front of the coffee truck, sprawling in lawn chairs around several tables pushed together to make room for all of them.

They look so perfectly relaxed and comfortable, no watchful glances, no one keeping a suspicious eye on their surroundings, not a single weapon in sight.

They just look entirely _mundane_.

Oh, how his dear departed friends would laugh and cry in equal measure if they were to see this. Nephilim lazing in the sun, enjoying coffee and company instead of training or hunting or planning or fighting. It certainly isn't something Magnus would have been able to imagine a few centuries back.

Times truly have changed.

And the person who called out to Magnus is none other than the Lightwood boy he met at that party a few weeks back. Who has by now abandoned his chair and is quickly crossing the short distance to where Magnus is still standing on the path.

“Hey,” the nephilim greets with a rather wide smile once he reaches him. Only to then give Magnus an absolutely blatant once over, head to toe and back again. "Magnus, wasn’t it? We met at the Institute's anniversary party a few weeks back."

“I remember,” Magnus nods. “Alec, right?” he says as nonchalantly as he can manage, trying not to show just how surprised he is by this turn of events. In all the scenarios he had come up with for today, Magnus hadn’t ever considered that he might be the one finding himself approached by a nephilim instead of the other way around.

“Yes, exactly.” The nephilim’s grin only gets brighter at Magnus remembering his name, taking another step closer, eyes cheerfully, unabashedly fixed on him.

And Magnus is possibly feeling a little flustered at this nephilim’s absolutely _blatant_ interest in him.

He knows that he has become a little socially awkward these days but, hey, it’s been decades since Magnus let himself have any sort of real connection with anyone, his last serious relationship having been more than a century ago.

It had just become too hard, too exhausting to be exclusively surrounded by mortals, people who leave him behind after a few decades at most, without a single Downworlder to fall back on. _Before_ he could at least rely on his friends and fellow Downworlders to be around and hold him up whenever he lost one of his mortal friends or lovers, if nothing else he used to have people around who at least understood the struggles of immortality.

But being all on your own, never able to keep anyone beyond a few decades turned out to be so far beyond exhausting that Magnus had just decided not to do it anymore. Even more so since letting mundanes into his life also meant he had to entirely start anew every few decades just to avoid anyone getting suspicious at his lack of aging.

It had just become too exhausting to keep doing it after a while. So, better to just keep away.

Hence, him being a little socially awkward these days. That, however, doesn't change the fact that he really wishes right now he weren't quite this rusty with human interaction right now.

Thankfully, the nephilim doesn’t seem to mind Magnus’ continued silence.

“So, do you have somewhere to be?” Alec asks, eyes still entirely focused on Magnus’ face, expression inviting. “Or maybe, would you like to join me and my friends for coffee?”

Well, alright then.

As unexpected as this may be, Magnus also isn’t a fool. Because these are exactly the people he had come here to see, so even is this isn’t at all how he had imagined this would go, he is not going to throw away this chance either.

So, he just nods in agreement. Only realizing afterwards that he should maybe consider working on his friendly expression for today and throw in a smile or two.

Well, Alec doesn't seem to mind, cheerfully making up for his rather stoic expression by immediately granting him a radiant grin at Magnus' agreement.

_My goodness, what a smile._

Then, there is suddenly a warm hand on his lower back as Magnus finds himself unceremoniously being led the few steps over to where the other nephilim are gathered in front of the coffee truck.

And even as anxious as he feels right now about that upcoming oh-by-the-way-you-are-all-descended-from-angels-and-would-you-like-to-learn-how-to-fight-demons conversation, he still feels quite a bit of amusement at how forward this boy is being.

_Definitely not shy, this one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I decided to continue this after all, mostly because the lovely **Moonpuddles** got me entirely invested and motivated for this fic again :D So much so, that my brain has decided to completely fixate on this story now XD Hence, me posting the next part of this in the hopes that I will then be able to think about my other fics again as well :)  
> And I’m not sure yet whether I will really turn this into a full fic but I'll add at least a bit more to this because the next two (admittedly rather humorous) chapters are already pretty much done. 
> 
> Would love to know what you think :D


	3. Chapter 3

It only takes them a few steps to reach the table where the rest of the nephilim are gathered, all of them having watched their brief conversation with rather blatant curiosity.

And as soon as they reach the group, Alec doesn't waste any time before he is already starting on introductions. “This is my sister Izzy and her boyfriend Simon. My best friend Lydia and her girlfriend Maia. And Clary and Jace are most likely making out behind the coffee truck. They’ll be back at some point. Probably," he adds on, giving him a charming grin.

Magnus just nods at everyone as they are introduced, sorting them into nephilim and non-nephilim as he goes. Everyone gives him friendly – if slightly confused – nods in return.

That is, until he returns the introduction, "Hello. I'm Magnus."

Promptly, both Izzy and Lydia’s eyes widen slightly, the confusion on their faces vanishing as their heads swing towards a now rather smugly grinning Alec. Magnus raises his eyebrows at the odd reaction. It’s almost as though Magnus’ name means something to them...

But he doesn't really get much time to wonder about it before Alec is turning towards him and asking, “We can go get something to drink once Jace manages to detach himself from Clary and returns to serving his customers,” Alec says. “In the meantime, why don’t we wait here.”

And then he honest to god pulls one of the chairs at the table a little further out for Magnus to sit in. Almost like a gentleman of old.

Turns out, this boy got moves.

Thankfully, he leaves Magnus to settle on the chair by himself as he takes a seat right next to him, even though he is definitely sitting a little closer to Magnus than might be entirely necessary. Well, it’s not like he is complaining about this nephilim’s so very blatant interest in Magnus.

And as soon as they have both settled in their seats, Alec is already leaning slightly closer once more, not uncomfortably, but definitely close enough to make sure he has pretty much all of Magnus’ attention.

“So, Magnus,what brings you here?” he asks, eyes fixed on him, expression entirely open, inviting, flirtatious smile tugging at his lips.

 _By magic, this man is gorgeous._ Another glance at Alec’s confident, self-assured demeanor makes Magnus quirk a slight smile of his own. _And he clearly knows it, too._

And, yeah, Magnus has always had a thing for self-assuredness.

Although, that question quite effectively reminds Magnus that them running into each other here isn't as much of a coincidence as this nephilim clearly assumes. And, sure, so far things have been going quite well, have even turned out a bit easier than he had anticipated. Magnus already met some of the resident nephilim, has even been invited to join their group for coffee. Now, on to the fun part of making himself look entirely insane while trying to convince them that magic is in fact real.

Magnus just wants to sigh.

No matter how he chooses to start this conversation, by the second or third sentence he’ll start sounding like a lunatic anyway.

If worse comes to worst and no one here believes him at all, then Magnus can always just get up and leave, won’t ever have to see any of them again – as regrettable as that may be in some cases, or rather in one particular case - and can always try his luck at another Institute.

But for now, this is his best bet.

And he might have spent the past few days trying to come up with scenarios for how this entire situation might go, but none of those included Magnus having this conversation outside, in the sun, surrounded by a group of colorfully dressed nephilim and their mundane significant others.

Speaking of which, he _should_ probably get rid of the two mundanes before he actually starts revealing things about the Shadowworld to anyone here, but he really is in no position to demand anything from them. And asking some of their group to leave right now for unspecified reason is neither going to help his case nor get them to trust him in any way.

So, it looks like he is about to break that rather important, agreed-upon-by-Downworlders-and-Shadowhunters-alike rule of the Shadowworld about not ever letting the mundanes find out about them.

Although, maybe best to start out softly, maybe first clarify that he had come here specifically to find them.

Magnus gives another glance around the table, breathes in – here goes nothing – and starts, “I came here t-“

He doesn't get any further than that.

“It’s _you_!” The exclamation cuts right across anything Magnus might have been planning to say.

It makes everyone at their entire table immediately flip around to look at the speaker. Who turns out to be none other than the blonde nephilim whose dimension-traveling alter ego Magnus had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks back. Jace, was it?

Clarissa is standing beside him and is glancing confusedly between Jace and Magnus, same as the rest of their group.

Jace is now pointing a rather accusing finger at Magnus, turning towards the group to insist, “That’s _him_! I’m telling you that’s the guy I saw.”

From the corner of his eye, Magnus can see Alec frown rather deeply - almost unhappily - at his side.

"How do you know Magnus?" he asks.

At the same time as Simon interjects, "Saw him where?" and Maia wonderes sardonically, "Is the ever-so-specific description of 'that guy' supposed to mean something to me?"

But Magnus just wants to sigh. He already has a pretty good idea just where this might be going, as much as he had hoped this _wouldn’t_ happen.

Jace must remember him from that party a few weeks back, despite only having seen Magnus for a few seconds in total.

After the two dimension-hoppers had taken off and left Magnus to deal with things in this dimension, he had decided to only dampen their alter egos’ memories instead of attempting to remove them entirely.

Because for one, Magnus' hold on his newly recovered magic hadn't yet been reliable enough for him to want to go messing around in anyone's head, especially with nephilim memory being notoriously difficult to mess with anyway.

And secondly, this world's Jace hadn't even really seen anything beyond Magnus and Clarissa sneaking off into the basement, while this world's Clarissa shouldn't really remember anything about Magnus at _all_ , because the other Clarissa had been in control pretty much the entire time.

So, Magnus had decided to only dampen their memories, make them harder to clearly remember, blur their memories to appear the same as when you get roaring drunk and the only thing that remains the next day is a vague recollection with occasional bright spots of memories. Magnus had simply counted on the fact that people these days always come up with logical explanations for anything less-than-ordinary they see much rather than believing that there might be anything supernatural in this world. Humans can get truly creative in their attempts to deny the existence of anything magical.

But clearly, he miscalculated.

“That’s the guy from the party,” Jace finally elaborates, taking another step closer and confirming Magnus' suspicions. "The one I saw in the basement with Clary."

At that however, Clarissa is promptly rolling her eyes, “Jace, I told you there was no one in the basement with us. I don’t know how we ended up down there but clearly something was wrong with our drinks. There was no man in the basement with us and I also didn’t suddenly learn karate for all of five minutes to fight off a weird, green-skinned monster-mutant thing.”

Now everyone around the table is grinning, clearly amused by the conversation.

But Magnus frowns.

He hadn't known that this world's Jace had actually seen the demon. By the time Magnus got back from looking for the portal, the demon had already been dead and the nephilim’s body had been taken over by his dimension-hopping counterpart. Magnus had just assumed that this world’s Jace had never so much as seen the demon itself.

Damn. If he had known, Magnus would definitely have done more than just dampen his memories.

Because, sure, to the rest of the group the blonde's claims might sound absolutely ridiculous, but to Jace this has clearly caused some distress.

Maybe it's his instincts, the remainders of his heritage, that sixth sense nephilim are born with – whether actually trained as a Shadowhunter or not – that has him so rattled. Jace's angel-blood might still have recognized the very real, deathly threat of the demon it had come in contact with, despite not actually knowing what it is he saw.

Well, damn. Now Magnus feels pretty bad for missing this and not making sure that this world's Jace hadn't actually come in contact with anything from the Shadowworld.

And at this point - with Jace's assertions about Magnus being there during that supposedly imaginary attack by the unidentifiable fantasy creature he clearly mentioned to this group before - there is simply no way to gently lead up to this whole discussion about the Shadowworld any longer.

Magnus heaves a sighs. _Well, this isn’t at all how I planned to go about this._ _But then again, this is as good a point to start as any._

So, he finally leans forward slightly in his seat, bringing everyone's attention onto himself and effectively interrupting the snark fest currently going on between Maia and Jace, comments about people who aren’t able to hold their liquor being thrown back and forth.

Magnus just snaps his fingers, using the same trick he used to call forth the other Clarissa's consciousness before. Only this time, he makes an image of the demon appear, hovering over his palm in all its glory.

“By any chance, is this what you saw?” he asks calmly.

Jace’s eyes widen as he points at it, “Exactly! That’s it…” He pauses, his eyes flicking between the image and Magnus’ face and back again. “…exactly?”

The entire table is silent, everyone staring at the image just hovering over Magnus' hand.

“How…?” Lydia asks.

“You did that before,” Clarissa interrupts, suddenly looking far more freaked-out about the situation but at the same time a whole lot more inquisitive as well. “At the party. But it was cats and some circle thing? I thought that it was just part of whatever happened that night that made me hallucinate.”

Instead of replying, Magnus just snaps his fingers once more, making Chairman Meow appear instead of the demon, then the Viking Vegvisir, and finally an image of Church.

“How in the world…?” Alec speaks up from beside him, leaning forward to get a closer look.

But he doesn't sound freaked out at all, just absolutely fascinated as he reaches out to run his hand through the image, Magnus’ magic curling around his fingers as he does, reforming the image of a now utterly unimpressed looking Church in their wake. Alec blinks and then even moves to take Magnus’ hand, turning it over in his own, probably to check for some sort of device that might give a logical, scientific explanation for Magnus’ little trick.

Finally, Alec just looks up at the others and shrugs at them signifying that he can't find anything to explain the image away.

Well, at least Magnus had _assumed_ that was what he was trying to do by checking his hand.

He does get a little suspicious as to his reasons, however, when Alec doesn't actually let go of Magnus' hand afterwards, just casually keeping a hold of it as he leans back in his seat once more, easily lacing their fingers together and moving their now suddenly linked hands to rest on his own thigh.

Magnus blinks. He doesn’t even know anymore whether to be flustered, irritated or amused at this nephilim's forwardness.

Although, it is admittedly rather nice to have Alec be so very clearly, blatantly interested in him. There is just something about this one, something that tugs at him, like a part of himself that Magnus had locked away a long time ago is suddenly waking, taking note again. It’s a feeling he hasn’t had in a long, long time.

So, surprised or not, flustered or not, in the end, Magnus doesn't make any move whatsoever to actually take back his hand, instead letting it relax in Alec’s hold, who immediately reacts by easily, naturally winding their fingers just a little tighter together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments and kudos (*^^*)


	4. Chapter 4

“Okay. So, let me get this straight,” Simon says with a frown of concentration on his face.

Magnus has known this boy for all of a few hours and he is already absolutely endeared and exasperated at the same time. This kid is just like an adorable little puppy, the kind that won’t keep its nose out of trouble, but endearing nonetheless.

“You are saying that there are angels in heaven and demons in hell,” Simon continues. “And that you are part demon and these guys are part angel and they are actually part of this badass warrior race that used to protect the world. But there haven’t been any demons for a long time and because of some balance thing magic has been gone from this world entirely for a long time. But then Clary and Jace’s alter egos from a different, still magical alternate universe came to visit and somehow that kick-started a magical recovery in _this_ universe? And now, magic is back. Which also means that demons will come back. Only now there won’t be anyone to fight them and that is why you need us, or rather them, to learn how to fight demons, because they are apparently ‘the chosen ones’?” A pause as the boy blinks at him expectantly.

Magnus nods slowly at that summary of everything he just spent the past hour explaining to this group.

Simon grins broadly. "That's so cool, dude!" he exclaims, enthusiasm bright  in his voice.

And Jace promptly rolls his eyes at that reaction, but then turns towards Magnus to ask almost sincerely, “You know that that sounds absolutely insane, right?”

Magnus sighs. “I know. Oh, do I ever.”

He can see Lydia quirk a grin, clearly amused and Magnus would love to share in her amusement, but he just spent more than an hour explaining this world’s magical backstory, constantly being interrupted by questions about anything from whether he owns a magic carpet to whether time travel is a thing.

Magnus is exhausted.

“Alright," Izzy says. "Admittedly, you don’t actually _seem_ crazy. And Jace clearly saw something during the party as well. And you can do that weird but admittedly also pretty awesome hologram trick.” she keeps listing things on her fingers.

Magnus shrugs slightly, listening as she keeps listing pros and cons on her fingers, the others interjecting with their own points to add to her list from time to time.

So far, this conversation has gone much better than he had ever dared to hope. Which is admittedly mostly due to Jace demanding to hear him out as well as Alec not even once showing the slightest inclination to move away from his spot at all.

And the two of them staying meant that Clary, Izzy and Lydia stayed, which therefore also included their significant others. This group really seems to be an all-or-none-of-us kind of collection of friends. Which isn’t only a good thing to have but even seems to currently be working in Magnus' favor.

Although, Magnus knows that as cheerfully enthusiastic as they are all presenting themselves to be right now, there is simply no way he managed to actually convince them of the existence of magic within just one conversation and a neat-but-easily-explained-away magic trick.

They'll all have to see to truly believe. But even so, them staying to let Magnus explain at all is still much better than he had honestly thought he'd get.

Actually, the only one who doesn’t really look either doubtful at Magnus’ claims or like they might be humoring him, is Jace. The blonde had demanded right from the start not only to hear what Magnus had to say but also wouldn't let anyone stop Magnus' explanation of what that ‘weird, green-skinned alien mutant thing’ he saw was. Jace's insistence on hearing him out is definitely one of the reasons Magnus made it through the entire explanation at all.

Then, Alec speaks up from next to him, sounding neither entirely disbelieving nor particularly assured of Magnus’ sanity. Based on the questions he has asked so far during the explanation, Alec seems to be caught somewhere between keeping an open mind and simply humoring Magnus. Which is honestly much better than he'd thought he'd be faced with here.

And seeing as Alec has yet to let go of his hand, he clearly he isn’t too put off. Magnus honestly isn’t sure what exactly to make of that fact.

“So, actual magic?” Alec asks him, eyebrows raised, humor as well as definite intrigue in his eyes.

Magnus focuses on him and gives a nod, but not really sure what to say to that.

There is a slight, teasing grin is spreading over Alec’s face and he is clearly about to say something, but Maia beats him to it.

 “So, prove it," she demands. It isn't necessarily said aggressively, but it definitely doesn't sound particularly friendly either.

Magnus turns towards her. He knew this was coming at some point. And it’s not actually a problem to prove having magic, seeing as he _does_ in fact have magic.

So, he just asks, “How would you like me to prove it?”

She promptly raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him, “By doing magic.” The ‘duh’ is rather heavily implied.

“Yes, thank you. I got that," Magnus replies sardonically, making her quirk a tiny grin in reaction. "But I truly meant, how would _you_ like me to prove it. Anything I come up with myself in order to 'prove' the existence of magic, you’ll just assume I would have prepared beforehand. So, tell me, what do _you_ need to see me do for you to believe.”

And suddenly, there is something considering not only in her eyes but also in the others' expressions, everyone clearly surprised at his confidence to be able to do whatever she can come up with.

But Maia doesn’t get the chance to actually come up with anything, before Simon is eagerly leaning forward in his seat.

“A bunny! Can you make a bunny appear?” he exclaims excitedly.

There are several seconds of silence as the entire table blinks at him.

And then, Clarissa giggles and even Magnus can’t help but grin slightly at the boy’s enthusiasm.

"Really, Simon?" Maia asks in exasperation with definite fondness in her voice. "You just had to go for the most standard magic trick in the book?"

But Magnus just twirls the fingers of his free hand - still doing his best to ignore the warmth of the hold Alec has on his other hand - and Simon’s eyes grow wide at the bunny suddenly sitting on the table in front of him, sniffing at his glass. He reaches out a hand, touches its fur first with just his fingertips and then once it’s clear the rabbit is actually real, cheerfully starts petting it his entire hand.

"I- Okay- I think I’m convinced," he says, still blinking at the bunny in front of him but an absolutely delighted grin starting to spread over his face. "This is so _cool_! Can I keep it? I'm keeping it." He picks up the rabbit to hold it up to face him, declaring in an apparent Dori impression, "I shall name you Fluffy and you shall be mine."

Maia rolls her eyes at him but it’s clearly entirely fond. “You’re too easy to please, Simon. At least wish for something useful. Like being rich or famous or immortal.”

Magnus raises his eyebrows, an amused smile quirking his lips, “I'm sorry to say that don’t deal in that sort of magic. My brand of magic is more of the tangible-effects sort. You’ll need a djinn for those abstract sorts of wishes and I’m definitely not one of those.”

A moment of silence.

“Wait, djinn are real? Are they like in the movies? Do they really live in bottles and try to trick you to take their place?” Izzy asks eagerly.

Magnus can't help but grin slightly, starting to find a certain amount of humor in this overly excitable group. Instead of answering the question directly, he says, “There used to be a saying in the Shadowworld, before magic drained away. We used to say, ‘all the legends are true’. So, all those myths and legends and folklore, pretty much everything in them is true to some degree.”

“Everything?" Lydia speaks up for the first time. "As in vampires, werewolves, merpeople? Hm, faeries, goblins, trolls, sphinx, phoenix, dragons, centaurs…”

When she runs out of creatures to list, Alec picks up where she left off. “Wendigos, sirens, yetis, selkies, hydra, Fenrir, Jormungandr, the boogieman,...”

Only for him to be interrupted by Clarissa, “Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Man in the Moon, Jack Frost.”

“Stop listing the cast from ‘Rise of the Guardians’, Clary,” Alec interrupts her exasperatedly.

“ _You’re_ the one who brought up the boogieman. And Lydia was just listing creatures from Harry Potter as well,” she promptly returns.

Izzy gasps, entirely ignoring them as she continues the list with, "What about elves and dwarves and orcs, hobbits, uruk-hai, goblins, ents, dunedain, istari?”

"Wait, does that mean that aliens are real as well?" Jace muses pensively at no one in particular.

“Oh. My. God,” Simon suddenly exclaims halting all other conversation as everyone turns to look at him once more, everyone simply ignoring the bunny that is currently trying to climb up his chest.

Simon looks at Magnus, his eyes wide in excitement, whispering in awe and an apparent sudden need for secrecy, “What about Superman? Is Superman actually _real_?”

Magnus stares at him for a second.

And then he just starts laughing helplessly.

By magic, he is surrounded by nephilim who can quote children’s movies and books and comics at each other.

Of course he knows that they are nowhere near done with this conversation, knows that this group doesn’t truly believe his claims yet, probably won’t for a while, won’t until they are confronted with the very tangible reality of supernatural creatures, of demons wandering this world.

And they haven’t even touched on the truly difficult parts yet. He knows the hardest part will come once they _do_ finally believe him about the existence of magic, when the existence of vampires and werewolves and faeries becomes something marvelous and fascinating to them and he will have to impress upon them just how truly _dangerous_ the Shadowworld can be, especially for those of angel blood.

Magnus knows all this.

But for now, he can’t help but laugh quietly at this delightful group, at the lightheartedness that surrounds him, not quite sure whether to despair for the fate of the world or whether to be delighted that this set of Shadowhunters will be entirely different from what this realm was used to before.

_What in the world am I going to do with this lot?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m marking this as complete again simply because this seems like a good place to stop in case I don’t actually turn this into a full fic. But if I do decide to add an actual plot to this, the tone of the fic will get a bit more serious, if only to avoid turning this into full-on crack. Would love to know what you think :D
> 
> And thanks so much for your comments and kudos (*^^*)


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